The True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Death by Lightning’ and the Assassination of James A. Garfield
Charles Guiteau’s bullet didn’t directly take the life of the 20th U.S. president—it was medical ignorance, pride, and the very tools meant to save him that sealed his fate. Less than four months into his presidency, James A. Garfield was struck by an assassin’s bullet, setting off events that would expose deep flaws in American medicine and politics.
More than 120 years later, the consequences of that single gunshot—fired by a frustrated political supporter named Charles Guiteau—continue to echo through history, symbolizing the collision of science, ambition, and hubris.
Netflix’s “Death by Lightning”
The new limited series Death by Lightning, released November 6 on Netflix, revisits Garfield’s assassination and its long-lasting resonance in U.S. history. The four-part series stars Michael Shannon as President Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as his assassin, Charles Guiteau.
It explores both the tragic events leading to the shooting and the flawed medical attempts made to keep Garfield alive. Through dramatization and historical insight, the show illustrates how human error and ego turned a treatable wound into a national catastrophe.
Charles Guiteau: The Assassin’s Story
Charles Julius Guiteau was born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1841. His early life was marked by hardship and instability. His mother, Jane, suffered from psychosis and died when he was about seven years old, leaving him in the care of his father, Luther, who was known to be abusive.
Guiteau’s troubled upbringing and rejection by society would later converge in a desperate act of vengeance against a president he once idolized.
Legacy and Reflection
The story of Garfield’s death remains a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride, inadequate medical understanding, and misplaced faith in emerging technology. The series not only recounts history but also questions the human impulses that shaped it.
Author’s summary: A gripping exploration of President Garfield’s assassination, Netflix’s Death by Lightning reveals how ego and ignorance, more than bullets, decided his fate.